Criminal Minds s14e05 Episode Script
The Tall Man
Girl: This is so stupid.
What are we, 12? Second girl: Ok, we're just having fun.
It's all this is.
Hunting for a ghost in the woods is not my idea of fun.
It's not fun, it's real.
And we're gonna see him if it takes all night.
All night? Are you we left a perfectly good party for this.
And I'm not freezing my ass off out here all night.
Well, fine, I'll stay out here by myself.
Tall Man, Tall Man, long-haired Tall Man.
Never gonna catch me.
Never gonna catch me.
Never gonna catch me.
Ok.
Are we gonna do this or not? Yeah.
Hey, Ally.
What? Wait up.
Is the fire out? It's out.
Did you check? You were right.
I'm on fire.
- That's very funny.
- Put me out, Brent.
Put me out.
- Ahh.
- [Screaming.]
[Sobbing.]
He has them.
He has them.
He has my friends.
Woman: Who? Who? The Tall Man.
Breakfast is served.
Thank you, babe.
Say "thank you," boys.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
Any special requests while I'm up? May I have some ketchup with my eggs? Can I have lime juice? Lime juice? What? On your eggs? [Cell phone vibrating.]
I'll go get some.
Will: Lime juice is good, right? How's the bacon? Oop.
Oop.
We got a spill.
Uh-oh.
Henry.
Our next case, where we're headed to.
East Allegheny.
Your hometown, huh? [Sighs.]
I swore I would get out of there and never go back.
I have to go.
Right? Well, you don't have to do anything, darling.
But this case, two girls missing in the woods, it's gonna bother you if you don't go.
Wait, wait, wait.
Where? Where? In a park, Dead Man's Conservatory.
Is that important? Yeah.
I think I know what they were looking for.
JJ: Last night 3 teenage girls went searching for the Tall Man.
It's a regional ghost story.
According to the survivor recovered this morning, they found him.
Alvez: She looks like she went through hell.
She say what happened? That would be Ally MacReady.
And according to her, the Tall Man held them and cut them repeatedly.
That is consistent with the legend.
So the Tall Man is your classic don't-go-into-the-woods dare.
Survive the night, you survive him.
He catches you, he cuts you until you reveal your deepest secrets.
Let's go back to the victims for a second.
Did they sneak out or did their parents know? They told their parents that they were going to a party, and they actually did.
Ok, so then off the bat we have two theories about the unsub.
One is that he knew they were planning this.
Which puts him in the girls' inner circle.
Exactly.
Or two, he waited in the woods opportunistically.
But that strategy only works if he plays the odds right.
So how far reaching is this ghost story? Maybe I can answer that.
The story JJ grew up with, it's gonna viral, and the Photoshop work is on fleek.
Tall Man is a story.
What happened to these girls is real.
The first 24 hours are crucial in an abduction case, and we are not down to 18.
Let's move.
Girl: What are you doing? Nothing.
Don't say "nothing.
" My necklace is missing.
You stole it again, didn't you? How many times do I have to say stay out of my room? [Sighs.]
Why do you even like this so much? Because it's yours.
[Sighs.]
Then I want you to have it.
Really? Yeah.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
Because no matter what happens, I'll always love you, JJ.
Prentiss: JJ? Wheels up.
Wheels up.
Good morning, Ally.
My name is Brenda, and I'm your nurse for the next 12 hours.
The police have asked that I scrape under your fingernails for evidence.
This won't hurt at all.
You'll barely even notice [voice distorts.]
that I'm doing anything.
Are you ok with that? [Door creaks.]
Girl: He's coming.
Ally hide.
Second girl: Someone is coming! No.
No! No, no, no.
Aah! [Exhales.]
Aah! Aah! Get away from me! Get away from me! JJ: "The most important question anyone can ask is what myth am I living?" Carl Jung.
I'd like to direct your attention to two oddities.
Oddity number one is Ally MacReady's medical exam.
- Give us the headline.
-Despite outward appearances, Ally had a sum total of zero wounds on her.
So whose blood is on your clothes, you ask? DNA report is not back yet, but typing and matching points to the other girls.
She could have escaped before the unsub got to her.
Holding 3 girls takes a lot of control.
What's oddity number two? That would be a text exchange between Bethany and Chelsea.
Bethany says to Chelsea, "What if we do it in the woods tonight?" To which Chelsea responds, " We'd have to do it fast.
Ally can't see us coming.
" Vaguely threatening.
Although Ally didn't say anything like that in her interview.
Two of the girls had some agenda besides the Tall Man.
We need to see if it played a part in their disappearance.
Chelsea's dad, Tom, he dated my sister in high school, so I can talk to him.
Prentiss: Good.
Do that.
We will divide and conquer when we land.
We will investigate this as if Bethany and Chelsea are still alive, and we will not sleep until we find them.
[Indistinct P.
A.
announcements.]
Are you with him? The Tall Man? No, Ally, we told you.
We're with the FBI.
We're trying to find Bethany and Chelsea.
And you can help us by letting us know what you remember about last night.
Start in the woods.
What do you remember? Ally: Tall Man, Tall Man.
Chanting.
Tall Man, Tall Man, long-haired Tall Man.
Never gonna catch me.
Chelsea: Hey, Ally.
- What? - Wait up.
We, uh, we need to talk.
About what? About you.
I don't I don't feel so good.
What what's happening? [Growling.]
Ally: And then he put us to sleep, because he can do that.
And when we woke up, we were in his domain.
No! No! No! [Distorted voice.]
Where is it? Tell me.
Ally, run! Aah! [Gasps.]
What did he mean, "Where is it?" Where's Chelsea's deepest, darkest secret.
That's what he always wants, our secrets.
Did he ask you for your secrets? No.
He just he put me back to sleep.
And when I woke up, I was in the woods.
Are you sure you two aren't his minions? We promise.
But how come you think we are? Because you look like him.
You don't have faces.
Ally has schizophrenia? Early onset.
And we confirmed it with her parents.
It's rare in teens, but it can happen.
The telltale symptom was her face blindness.
Schizophrenics have extreme visual processing problems, most obviously in meeting new people or experiencing new environments.
Alvez: Her parents were trying to keep her off medication.
That's why the cops and Garcia didn't flag it.
Besides the parents, who else knew? Just Bethany and Chelsea.
Why? Lot of holes in her story.
Well, we noticed that, too.
She wasn't bound, but the other two were.
She could have escaped, instead she magically woke up in the forest.
Covered in her friends' blood.
Most schizophrenics are not violent, but they can be pushed to violence if they're threatened.
Maybe she did this, but in her mind, it was the Tall Man.
And that brings us back to Bethany and Chelsea's texts about Ally, and if their agenda was upsetting enough to induce a break.
JJ's with Chelsea's dad now.
Maybe she can find out what they needed to talk about.
My daughter and her best friend are missing and you're asking about their texts? God, JJ, is that really what's important? [Sighs.]
I'm sorry.
It's ok.
It's the worst day of my life.
And then Roslyn Jareau's little sister shows up to ask me about it.
I usually don't see people on their best day.
That's why it's important to look into every lead.
Ok? So these texts between Bethany and Chelsea didn't sound too friendly.
Ally's getting worse Singing, talking to herself.
So last night they were going to try to talk Ally into getting some help.
Why in the woods? I mean, there are at least a hundred better places to have that conversation.
I don't know.
I really don't.
What are you doing here? What do you mean? I mean, I remember your sister's funeral like it was yesterday.
I could barely keep it together.
But you you live in this world now.
I do.
I guess I do live in this world now.
But you know what? I also get to make a difference in it.
Then tell me I won't have to bury my daughter.
Bethany: Chelsea.
Yeah? How bad are you? Bad.
He's real.
I can't believe he's real, and this is happening to us.
Stop it.
Stop.
The Tall Man is not real.
This is just some freak who gets his kicks out of flicking us with a razor.
What does he want? I don't know.
Oh, my God, he's coming.
He's coming back.
[Whimpers.]
No.
[Distorted voice.]
Where is it? [Sobbing.]
Stop.
I don't know.
[Phone rings.]
Go ahead, Garcia.
Garcia: The police recovered all 3 girls' phones in the woods.
And you know how teens and myself spend way too much time on our screens? Well, the breakdown on the lab report from the girls' cell phones suggests a surefire way to get us all to stop.
Please look at that report on your tablets.
Fentanyl as in the opioid derivative? Yeah, trace elements were found on all 3 screens.
Now, the medical patch it comes in knocks you out instantaneously.
Wait, hold up.
Full stop.
Let's retrace the girls' timeline.
They went to a party, then somehow the unsub manages to get his hands on all 3 of the girls' phones to lace them? He could have been at the party.
But then he'd have to time that out with when they went into the woods.
No one's that good.
Factor this in now.
You're a teenage girl.
You keep your cell phone on you at all times.
Who would you maybe hand it over to? Your best friend.
Uh-huh.
I'm starting to think Bethany or Chelsea might be pulling the strings here.
Whoa, slow down.
All 3 girls' phones were drugged, and Ally had the other girls' blood on her.
I'm with Rossi.
If one of the girls was staging this, she would have had to have knocked herself out and let herself get cut.
That's one hell of a gaslight.
But not an impossible one, especially with a partner.
Well, if that's true, I think we're missing the bigger picture here.
Chelsea and Bethany are best friends.
Why would one recruit a partner to terrorize the other? Ok, it has something to do with this.
"Where is it?" That's what Ally heard.
So they're looking for something they lost, something they think the other girl can find.
I think we need to take another look at their high school, see what we can find.
I know a guy over there that could help us.
Great.
Man: Jennifer Jareau.
Is that you? Well, how are you, Mr.
Howard? I'm good.
I'm good.
Listen, you graduated, you can call me Ethan.
I heard you got promoted.
Can't believe you're not the guidance counselor anymore.
Oh, I'm still the guidance counselor.
Yeah, I'm also the A.
P.
English teacher, and some kids actually think I'm principal.
So did you get my message? I did.
And I pulled all the kids that Bethany and Chelsea were linked in with.
Great.
This way.
There's not much I can tell you.
Bethany and Chelsea, they loved each other.
They were more like sisters than friends.
Well, sisters fight.
Did they get on each other's nerves? They ever have any kind of disagreement? I mean, this is like totally a rumor, but Bethany had this secret boyfriend.
She wouldn't tell anyone who he was.
And Chelsea made fun of her for it, about Bethany keeping it a secret.
And Bethany was like, "Why can't you understand?" Roslyn: You don't understand that we're in love.
He loves me.
Man: Roslyn, you and Tom are in high school.
You don't know what love is.
You don't get it.
Girl: Do you know that feeling? Yeah.
Yeah, I know that feeling.
Could you tell me more about this boyfriend? We might need to talk to him.
All I can tell you, he gave Bethany a gift.
Jewelry, I think.
Chelsea got her hands on it somehow, and she made it her mission to find out who Bethany got it from.
And did she? She tried.
She never got there.
Ok, so let's roll with this for a second.
Bethany has a secret boyfriend.
He doesn't want to be exposed, neither does she.
But then Chelsea gets her hands on something neither one wants her to have.
Right.
So the jewelry has to be the key to all of it.
What motivates them to this extreme? Prentiss: JJ? You want to talk about it? Look, ever since we took this case, all of these [Exhales.]
Memories are coming back, and they are not good memories.
You know? About Roslyn? Yeah.
Like that morning she took my father's razor.
I found her.
And I just stood there frozen for probably 10 minutes.
[Sniffles.]
It's like my brain couldn't, um, comprehend what I was seeing.
You know, sometimes I think I think that's why I took this job, so I'd always know what to do, so I would never freeze again.
[Sniffles.]
So can you can you give me something to do, Emily? Because I am starting to freeze up again.
Ok.
Um, all right, how about this? Luke and Tara are going back Ally.
They are going to use the EMDR technique on her.
It's supposed to be especially effective with schizophrenics.
Lewis: This process is called eye movement desensitization and reconditioning.
And all you have to do is focus on the movement of the metronome and the sound of our voices.
[Metronome ticking.]
Alvez: Ok, let's go back to the last thing you remember in his lair.
I don't want to.
Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Ally.
You're safe.
Ok? [Growls.]
Aah! Where is it? Ally: He's here.
He's here.
He's here.
Lewis: Ally, open your eyes and focus on the metronome.
[Metronome ticking.]
Lewis: Now help us find your friends.
Describe the room.
Ally: There's the door that he came through.
It's like I'm in a tunnel or something.
There's windows along the walls, but they're covered in this weird cloth.
Ally, what's on the ceiling? [Breathing heavily.]
Stars.
But they're pink.
I know where they are.
It's a train car.
It's abandoned.
We used to have parties there back when I was in high school.
Somebody put pink stars up on the ceiling.
Ok, so it's right here if it hasn't moved.
Prentiss: Ok, you'll lead SWAT.
Tell them to watch their front sight.
There are teenagers in there.
Bethany? Bethany: Hmm? What? I don't know if we're gonna make it out of here alive.
If he kills me, I need to tell you something.
I lied.
I do know what he wants.
What is it? Promise you won't get mad at me, ok? I promise.
You're my best friend, and we're gonna get through this together, ok? Just tell me.
That's why I hid it, because I just wanted to know who he was.
But he keeps on asking, "Where is it?" And that's the only thing I can think of.
That's the only thing.
[Rustling.]
Huh.
What are you You set this up? You're with him? Of course I'm with him.
I love him.
[Gasps.]
Chelsea? Chelsea, hey.
Can you hear me? Medical.
Hypovolemic shock, massive injury to the stomach.
JJ, this is a highwayman's hitch knot.
It self releases.
Bethany could have escaped any time she wanted.
Is she awake? Yeah.
It was Bethany, wasn't it? Ok, who's the boyfriend? Do you know where they're headed to? Where are they going What? This? [Retches.]
Get her into surgery.
JJ.
They had to induce a coma.
And we misjudged.
The boyfriend, we thought he was a teenager, a peer, - well, he's older, much older.
- How do you know? Chelsea saw this around my neck.
The look in her eyes was recognition.
The jewelry the unsub gave Bethany.
Same one.
He gave this to Roslyn who gave it to me.
God only knows how many other girls there's been since then.
I have been wearing this around my neck, his trophy, this whole time.
JJ, we will arrest him.
I know.
But when we do, I'm gonna need you to keep me away from him, because if I get a chance, I swear to God I will kill him.
This is mislabeled.
Unsub's older, predatory.
Yeah.
Let's add it all up.
The unsub gives the girls he grooms a necklace.
But Chelsea stole Bethany's to figure out who he is.
And it's the smoking gun of their affair, dangerous enough to ruin his life if discovered.
So he and Bethany come up with a plan to get it back.
This guy's been at it for a while.
So who's in Bethany's life who also overlaps with JJ's sister? Well, there's on obvious suspect.
It's Tom Davis.
He's Chelsea's dad, and he was Roslyn's old boyfriend.
Matt, Luke, bring him in.
He has an alibi.
I want to stress test it.
You think I did this? My daughter is fighting for her life in the hospital.
The guy we're looking for has been doing this for a while.
All the way back to Roslyn.
Jareau? We dated in the nineties.
I was 18.
Simmons: Ok, so how about this, how about you tell us again where you were You ok with this? Tom: I was at home by myself.
You can check my cell phone.
It's got GPS on it.
All that means is that your phone stayed home, not that you did.
How he responds to my sister's necklace will tell us everything.
[Door opens.]
JJ, thank God.
Can you please explain We pulled this off of Bethany.
What is it? [Door opens.]
It's not him.
We're holding him anyway.
Fine, but it's not him.
Bethany: It's me.
I'm on the burner phone.
I know where it is.
It's at the school.
Yeah, I'm here now.
I can get it, but You promise to take care of me? You promise? I, uh, I had to stab Chelsea.
I think she I think she's Yeah, ok.
I'll see you soon.
[Cell phone beeps.]
Emily send you in here? No.
Well, I might have mentioned I was gonna check up on you.
You know, of all the profilers I've worked with, you've grown the most, from communications liaison to mother to profiler.
It's been a privilege to watch.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm not done.
Because now you have to do the hard work.
If this unsub was in Roslyn's life, he was also in yours.
And you're gonna have to dig into your memories to find him.
Will you come with me? Every step of the way.
[Clang.]
You're 11.
That's a fun age.
Yeah.
What was going on? My parents weren't doing well.
There was a lot of fighting.
Did that contribute to Roslyn's depression? It did.
But she'd always make time for me.
Rossi: Did she ever let on that she was hurting? JJ: Yeah.
It got really bad right before she was gone.
It's dinnertime, Mom says.
JJ, not now.
You have to come eat because you haven't eaten in 3 days.
Get out! Why are you like this? Is it Tom? No.
I broke up with Tom months ago.
Will you just go away, please? No, that's not right.
Weeks earlier she and my father were fighting.
Roslyn: You don't understand, Dad.
We're in love.
He loves me.
Dad: Roslyn, you don't know what love is.
You don't get it! If she had already broken up with Tom, who was she talking about? The unsub.
He recognized a girl in pain, parents divorcing, vulnerable, so he took advantage of that.
She was already in such a bad place.
And now she's heartbroken.
She thought there was only one way out.
But there's that nagging question, isn't there? Why did you give this to me, Roz? Go back to when she gave it to you.
Go there right now.
Roslyn: I want you to have it.
But you love this necklace.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
Because no matter what happens, I'll always love you, JJ.
And besides, this necklace will help ward off the Tall Man.
That's a stupid, made-up story.
The story's made up, but some monsters are real.
And if a real monster ever sees you wearing this, he'll know not to mess with Jennifer Jareau 'Cause she's a total bad ass.
You think I'm a bad ass? I think you're the baddest of asses.
And that came out wrong.
[Laughs.]
She was trying to protect me.
Yes, she was.
Now imagine you're the unsub.
Your victim has just killed herself, and you see her younger sister wearing your gift to her.
He'd see it as a beacon.
That's my next victim.
You say that as a profiler.
But what else do you know about preferential sexual offenders? They They have an age-specific type.
I'd be too young for him.
Roslyn didn't know that, but she knew the unsub, and she knew you.
She knew that deep down inside, you were stronger than her, and that the unsub would never come after you because it would be too risky.
You were too tough.
Now, was that the best plan? No.
But it was the best that Roslyn could do.
And I think her plan worked.
I think he was terrified of what she might have told you and how you would have looked at him.
So who looked at you like that growing up? It would have been a brief interaction, something probably in the immediate aftermath of her death.
Oh, my God.
[Banging.]
[Grunting.]
[Lock rattling.]
Aah! [Grunting.]
[Muffled screams.]
[Breathing heavily.]
This is just a horrible mistake, ok? I didn't do anything wrong.
I mean, you can't just bring me does JJ Where are you going? Hey, listen.
Listen.
I didn't do this.
I searched his car, his house, and the school.
No sign of Bethany.
Dave, I think he'll respond to your authority.
I want you to take the first crack at him.
Actually, I'd like to.
Ok.
[Sighs.]
JJ.
What in the world is this? Seriously.
Ethan, I am so sorry.
This is ridiculous.
They seem to think I've hurt those girls or something.
I know.
It's just we have a warrant for your house.
And they've already pulled your computer.
Is that? No, she's bluffing.
That's a hell of a bluff.
Guys like him keep souvenirs, usually on computers.
Did you see what was on it? I did.
[Sighs.]
Ok, look.
Um, what Roslyn and I had, it was It was different.
All right.
I mean, we Really loved each other.
I know.
Roz gave this to me because she wanted me to know how special you were to her.
You know who else is special? Bethany.
Look, you don't have to tell me where she is, but you got to give me something so I can buy you a little more time.
She's where I keep all the kids that are special to me.
I'll be right back.
[Door opens.]
You meant it, right? About Roz? She loved me? She's at the school.
This can't be it.
There's nowhere for her to hide in here.
Guys, over here.
What's under here? That's an electrical breaker room.
The police, they cleared it already.
Well, we need to clear it again.
All right.
I got it.
Go ahead.
Guys.
Come on.
Bethany.
Ok, come on.
Bethany? Bethany, can you hear me? Here we go.
Come on.
Come on, Bethany.
Uhh! Come on.
Come on.
[Grunts.]
Bethany.
Come on.
Come on! Uhh! Come on.
Uhh! Uhh! Come on.
Oh.
Were you able to buy me more time? No.
No, I didn't.
You put my sister in your trophy case because she was just another one of your trophies.
No.
That's not that's not true.
I didn't Gah! Roslyn [handcuffs click.]
probably wasn't your first victim.
But Bethany She will be your last.
[Grunts.]
Come with me.
Heh.
Oh, don't Don't move.
Let me take this in.
They wanted to wait up.
They have a present for you.
A present for me? Mm-hmm.
We heard it through the grapevine it was a tough case.
You like it? I love it.
Good.
JJ: "There are times in our lives when we have to realize that our past is precisely what it is and we cannot change it, but we can change the story we tell ourselves about it.
And by doing that, we can change the future.
" Eleanor Brown.
What are we, 12? Second girl: Ok, we're just having fun.
It's all this is.
Hunting for a ghost in the woods is not my idea of fun.
It's not fun, it's real.
And we're gonna see him if it takes all night.
All night? Are you we left a perfectly good party for this.
And I'm not freezing my ass off out here all night.
Well, fine, I'll stay out here by myself.
Tall Man, Tall Man, long-haired Tall Man.
Never gonna catch me.
Never gonna catch me.
Never gonna catch me.
Ok.
Are we gonna do this or not? Yeah.
Hey, Ally.
What? Wait up.
Is the fire out? It's out.
Did you check? You were right.
I'm on fire.
- That's very funny.
- Put me out, Brent.
Put me out.
- Ahh.
- [Screaming.]
[Sobbing.]
He has them.
He has them.
He has my friends.
Woman: Who? Who? The Tall Man.
Breakfast is served.
Thank you, babe.
Say "thank you," boys.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
Any special requests while I'm up? May I have some ketchup with my eggs? Can I have lime juice? Lime juice? What? On your eggs? [Cell phone vibrating.]
I'll go get some.
Will: Lime juice is good, right? How's the bacon? Oop.
Oop.
We got a spill.
Uh-oh.
Henry.
Our next case, where we're headed to.
East Allegheny.
Your hometown, huh? [Sighs.]
I swore I would get out of there and never go back.
I have to go.
Right? Well, you don't have to do anything, darling.
But this case, two girls missing in the woods, it's gonna bother you if you don't go.
Wait, wait, wait.
Where? Where? In a park, Dead Man's Conservatory.
Is that important? Yeah.
I think I know what they were looking for.
JJ: Last night 3 teenage girls went searching for the Tall Man.
It's a regional ghost story.
According to the survivor recovered this morning, they found him.
Alvez: She looks like she went through hell.
She say what happened? That would be Ally MacReady.
And according to her, the Tall Man held them and cut them repeatedly.
That is consistent with the legend.
So the Tall Man is your classic don't-go-into-the-woods dare.
Survive the night, you survive him.
He catches you, he cuts you until you reveal your deepest secrets.
Let's go back to the victims for a second.
Did they sneak out or did their parents know? They told their parents that they were going to a party, and they actually did.
Ok, so then off the bat we have two theories about the unsub.
One is that he knew they were planning this.
Which puts him in the girls' inner circle.
Exactly.
Or two, he waited in the woods opportunistically.
But that strategy only works if he plays the odds right.
So how far reaching is this ghost story? Maybe I can answer that.
The story JJ grew up with, it's gonna viral, and the Photoshop work is on fleek.
Tall Man is a story.
What happened to these girls is real.
The first 24 hours are crucial in an abduction case, and we are not down to 18.
Let's move.
Girl: What are you doing? Nothing.
Don't say "nothing.
" My necklace is missing.
You stole it again, didn't you? How many times do I have to say stay out of my room? [Sighs.]
Why do you even like this so much? Because it's yours.
[Sighs.]
Then I want you to have it.
Really? Yeah.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
Because no matter what happens, I'll always love you, JJ.
Prentiss: JJ? Wheels up.
Wheels up.
Good morning, Ally.
My name is Brenda, and I'm your nurse for the next 12 hours.
The police have asked that I scrape under your fingernails for evidence.
This won't hurt at all.
You'll barely even notice [voice distorts.]
that I'm doing anything.
Are you ok with that? [Door creaks.]
Girl: He's coming.
Ally hide.
Second girl: Someone is coming! No.
No! No, no, no.
Aah! [Exhales.]
Aah! Aah! Get away from me! Get away from me! JJ: "The most important question anyone can ask is what myth am I living?" Carl Jung.
I'd like to direct your attention to two oddities.
Oddity number one is Ally MacReady's medical exam.
- Give us the headline.
-Despite outward appearances, Ally had a sum total of zero wounds on her.
So whose blood is on your clothes, you ask? DNA report is not back yet, but typing and matching points to the other girls.
She could have escaped before the unsub got to her.
Holding 3 girls takes a lot of control.
What's oddity number two? That would be a text exchange between Bethany and Chelsea.
Bethany says to Chelsea, "What if we do it in the woods tonight?" To which Chelsea responds, " We'd have to do it fast.
Ally can't see us coming.
" Vaguely threatening.
Although Ally didn't say anything like that in her interview.
Two of the girls had some agenda besides the Tall Man.
We need to see if it played a part in their disappearance.
Chelsea's dad, Tom, he dated my sister in high school, so I can talk to him.
Prentiss: Good.
Do that.
We will divide and conquer when we land.
We will investigate this as if Bethany and Chelsea are still alive, and we will not sleep until we find them.
[Indistinct P.
A.
announcements.]
Are you with him? The Tall Man? No, Ally, we told you.
We're with the FBI.
We're trying to find Bethany and Chelsea.
And you can help us by letting us know what you remember about last night.
Start in the woods.
What do you remember? Ally: Tall Man, Tall Man.
Chanting.
Tall Man, Tall Man, long-haired Tall Man.
Never gonna catch me.
Chelsea: Hey, Ally.
- What? - Wait up.
We, uh, we need to talk.
About what? About you.
I don't I don't feel so good.
What what's happening? [Growling.]
Ally: And then he put us to sleep, because he can do that.
And when we woke up, we were in his domain.
No! No! No! [Distorted voice.]
Where is it? Tell me.
Ally, run! Aah! [Gasps.]
What did he mean, "Where is it?" Where's Chelsea's deepest, darkest secret.
That's what he always wants, our secrets.
Did he ask you for your secrets? No.
He just he put me back to sleep.
And when I woke up, I was in the woods.
Are you sure you two aren't his minions? We promise.
But how come you think we are? Because you look like him.
You don't have faces.
Ally has schizophrenia? Early onset.
And we confirmed it with her parents.
It's rare in teens, but it can happen.
The telltale symptom was her face blindness.
Schizophrenics have extreme visual processing problems, most obviously in meeting new people or experiencing new environments.
Alvez: Her parents were trying to keep her off medication.
That's why the cops and Garcia didn't flag it.
Besides the parents, who else knew? Just Bethany and Chelsea.
Why? Lot of holes in her story.
Well, we noticed that, too.
She wasn't bound, but the other two were.
She could have escaped, instead she magically woke up in the forest.
Covered in her friends' blood.
Most schizophrenics are not violent, but they can be pushed to violence if they're threatened.
Maybe she did this, but in her mind, it was the Tall Man.
And that brings us back to Bethany and Chelsea's texts about Ally, and if their agenda was upsetting enough to induce a break.
JJ's with Chelsea's dad now.
Maybe she can find out what they needed to talk about.
My daughter and her best friend are missing and you're asking about their texts? God, JJ, is that really what's important? [Sighs.]
I'm sorry.
It's ok.
It's the worst day of my life.
And then Roslyn Jareau's little sister shows up to ask me about it.
I usually don't see people on their best day.
That's why it's important to look into every lead.
Ok? So these texts between Bethany and Chelsea didn't sound too friendly.
Ally's getting worse Singing, talking to herself.
So last night they were going to try to talk Ally into getting some help.
Why in the woods? I mean, there are at least a hundred better places to have that conversation.
I don't know.
I really don't.
What are you doing here? What do you mean? I mean, I remember your sister's funeral like it was yesterday.
I could barely keep it together.
But you you live in this world now.
I do.
I guess I do live in this world now.
But you know what? I also get to make a difference in it.
Then tell me I won't have to bury my daughter.
Bethany: Chelsea.
Yeah? How bad are you? Bad.
He's real.
I can't believe he's real, and this is happening to us.
Stop it.
Stop.
The Tall Man is not real.
This is just some freak who gets his kicks out of flicking us with a razor.
What does he want? I don't know.
Oh, my God, he's coming.
He's coming back.
[Whimpers.]
No.
[Distorted voice.]
Where is it? [Sobbing.]
Stop.
I don't know.
[Phone rings.]
Go ahead, Garcia.
Garcia: The police recovered all 3 girls' phones in the woods.
And you know how teens and myself spend way too much time on our screens? Well, the breakdown on the lab report from the girls' cell phones suggests a surefire way to get us all to stop.
Please look at that report on your tablets.
Fentanyl as in the opioid derivative? Yeah, trace elements were found on all 3 screens.
Now, the medical patch it comes in knocks you out instantaneously.
Wait, hold up.
Full stop.
Let's retrace the girls' timeline.
They went to a party, then somehow the unsub manages to get his hands on all 3 of the girls' phones to lace them? He could have been at the party.
But then he'd have to time that out with when they went into the woods.
No one's that good.
Factor this in now.
You're a teenage girl.
You keep your cell phone on you at all times.
Who would you maybe hand it over to? Your best friend.
Uh-huh.
I'm starting to think Bethany or Chelsea might be pulling the strings here.
Whoa, slow down.
All 3 girls' phones were drugged, and Ally had the other girls' blood on her.
I'm with Rossi.
If one of the girls was staging this, she would have had to have knocked herself out and let herself get cut.
That's one hell of a gaslight.
But not an impossible one, especially with a partner.
Well, if that's true, I think we're missing the bigger picture here.
Chelsea and Bethany are best friends.
Why would one recruit a partner to terrorize the other? Ok, it has something to do with this.
"Where is it?" That's what Ally heard.
So they're looking for something they lost, something they think the other girl can find.
I think we need to take another look at their high school, see what we can find.
I know a guy over there that could help us.
Great.
Man: Jennifer Jareau.
Is that you? Well, how are you, Mr.
Howard? I'm good.
I'm good.
Listen, you graduated, you can call me Ethan.
I heard you got promoted.
Can't believe you're not the guidance counselor anymore.
Oh, I'm still the guidance counselor.
Yeah, I'm also the A.
P.
English teacher, and some kids actually think I'm principal.
So did you get my message? I did.
And I pulled all the kids that Bethany and Chelsea were linked in with.
Great.
This way.
There's not much I can tell you.
Bethany and Chelsea, they loved each other.
They were more like sisters than friends.
Well, sisters fight.
Did they get on each other's nerves? They ever have any kind of disagreement? I mean, this is like totally a rumor, but Bethany had this secret boyfriend.
She wouldn't tell anyone who he was.
And Chelsea made fun of her for it, about Bethany keeping it a secret.
And Bethany was like, "Why can't you understand?" Roslyn: You don't understand that we're in love.
He loves me.
Man: Roslyn, you and Tom are in high school.
You don't know what love is.
You don't get it.
Girl: Do you know that feeling? Yeah.
Yeah, I know that feeling.
Could you tell me more about this boyfriend? We might need to talk to him.
All I can tell you, he gave Bethany a gift.
Jewelry, I think.
Chelsea got her hands on it somehow, and she made it her mission to find out who Bethany got it from.
And did she? She tried.
She never got there.
Ok, so let's roll with this for a second.
Bethany has a secret boyfriend.
He doesn't want to be exposed, neither does she.
But then Chelsea gets her hands on something neither one wants her to have.
Right.
So the jewelry has to be the key to all of it.
What motivates them to this extreme? Prentiss: JJ? You want to talk about it? Look, ever since we took this case, all of these [Exhales.]
Memories are coming back, and they are not good memories.
You know? About Roslyn? Yeah.
Like that morning she took my father's razor.
I found her.
And I just stood there frozen for probably 10 minutes.
[Sniffles.]
It's like my brain couldn't, um, comprehend what I was seeing.
You know, sometimes I think I think that's why I took this job, so I'd always know what to do, so I would never freeze again.
[Sniffles.]
So can you can you give me something to do, Emily? Because I am starting to freeze up again.
Ok.
Um, all right, how about this? Luke and Tara are going back Ally.
They are going to use the EMDR technique on her.
It's supposed to be especially effective with schizophrenics.
Lewis: This process is called eye movement desensitization and reconditioning.
And all you have to do is focus on the movement of the metronome and the sound of our voices.
[Metronome ticking.]
Alvez: Ok, let's go back to the last thing you remember in his lair.
I don't want to.
Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Ally.
You're safe.
Ok? [Growls.]
Aah! Where is it? Ally: He's here.
He's here.
He's here.
Lewis: Ally, open your eyes and focus on the metronome.
[Metronome ticking.]
Lewis: Now help us find your friends.
Describe the room.
Ally: There's the door that he came through.
It's like I'm in a tunnel or something.
There's windows along the walls, but they're covered in this weird cloth.
Ally, what's on the ceiling? [Breathing heavily.]
Stars.
But they're pink.
I know where they are.
It's a train car.
It's abandoned.
We used to have parties there back when I was in high school.
Somebody put pink stars up on the ceiling.
Ok, so it's right here if it hasn't moved.
Prentiss: Ok, you'll lead SWAT.
Tell them to watch their front sight.
There are teenagers in there.
Bethany? Bethany: Hmm? What? I don't know if we're gonna make it out of here alive.
If he kills me, I need to tell you something.
I lied.
I do know what he wants.
What is it? Promise you won't get mad at me, ok? I promise.
You're my best friend, and we're gonna get through this together, ok? Just tell me.
That's why I hid it, because I just wanted to know who he was.
But he keeps on asking, "Where is it?" And that's the only thing I can think of.
That's the only thing.
[Rustling.]
Huh.
What are you You set this up? You're with him? Of course I'm with him.
I love him.
[Gasps.]
Chelsea? Chelsea, hey.
Can you hear me? Medical.
Hypovolemic shock, massive injury to the stomach.
JJ, this is a highwayman's hitch knot.
It self releases.
Bethany could have escaped any time she wanted.
Is she awake? Yeah.
It was Bethany, wasn't it? Ok, who's the boyfriend? Do you know where they're headed to? Where are they going What? This? [Retches.]
Get her into surgery.
JJ.
They had to induce a coma.
And we misjudged.
The boyfriend, we thought he was a teenager, a peer, - well, he's older, much older.
- How do you know? Chelsea saw this around my neck.
The look in her eyes was recognition.
The jewelry the unsub gave Bethany.
Same one.
He gave this to Roslyn who gave it to me.
God only knows how many other girls there's been since then.
I have been wearing this around my neck, his trophy, this whole time.
JJ, we will arrest him.
I know.
But when we do, I'm gonna need you to keep me away from him, because if I get a chance, I swear to God I will kill him.
This is mislabeled.
Unsub's older, predatory.
Yeah.
Let's add it all up.
The unsub gives the girls he grooms a necklace.
But Chelsea stole Bethany's to figure out who he is.
And it's the smoking gun of their affair, dangerous enough to ruin his life if discovered.
So he and Bethany come up with a plan to get it back.
This guy's been at it for a while.
So who's in Bethany's life who also overlaps with JJ's sister? Well, there's on obvious suspect.
It's Tom Davis.
He's Chelsea's dad, and he was Roslyn's old boyfriend.
Matt, Luke, bring him in.
He has an alibi.
I want to stress test it.
You think I did this? My daughter is fighting for her life in the hospital.
The guy we're looking for has been doing this for a while.
All the way back to Roslyn.
Jareau? We dated in the nineties.
I was 18.
Simmons: Ok, so how about this, how about you tell us again where you were You ok with this? Tom: I was at home by myself.
You can check my cell phone.
It's got GPS on it.
All that means is that your phone stayed home, not that you did.
How he responds to my sister's necklace will tell us everything.
[Door opens.]
JJ, thank God.
Can you please explain We pulled this off of Bethany.
What is it? [Door opens.]
It's not him.
We're holding him anyway.
Fine, but it's not him.
Bethany: It's me.
I'm on the burner phone.
I know where it is.
It's at the school.
Yeah, I'm here now.
I can get it, but You promise to take care of me? You promise? I, uh, I had to stab Chelsea.
I think she I think she's Yeah, ok.
I'll see you soon.
[Cell phone beeps.]
Emily send you in here? No.
Well, I might have mentioned I was gonna check up on you.
You know, of all the profilers I've worked with, you've grown the most, from communications liaison to mother to profiler.
It's been a privilege to watch.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm not done.
Because now you have to do the hard work.
If this unsub was in Roslyn's life, he was also in yours.
And you're gonna have to dig into your memories to find him.
Will you come with me? Every step of the way.
[Clang.]
You're 11.
That's a fun age.
Yeah.
What was going on? My parents weren't doing well.
There was a lot of fighting.
Did that contribute to Roslyn's depression? It did.
But she'd always make time for me.
Rossi: Did she ever let on that she was hurting? JJ: Yeah.
It got really bad right before she was gone.
It's dinnertime, Mom says.
JJ, not now.
You have to come eat because you haven't eaten in 3 days.
Get out! Why are you like this? Is it Tom? No.
I broke up with Tom months ago.
Will you just go away, please? No, that's not right.
Weeks earlier she and my father were fighting.
Roslyn: You don't understand, Dad.
We're in love.
He loves me.
Dad: Roslyn, you don't know what love is.
You don't get it! If she had already broken up with Tom, who was she talking about? The unsub.
He recognized a girl in pain, parents divorcing, vulnerable, so he took advantage of that.
She was already in such a bad place.
And now she's heartbroken.
She thought there was only one way out.
But there's that nagging question, isn't there? Why did you give this to me, Roz? Go back to when she gave it to you.
Go there right now.
Roslyn: I want you to have it.
But you love this necklace.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
Because no matter what happens, I'll always love you, JJ.
And besides, this necklace will help ward off the Tall Man.
That's a stupid, made-up story.
The story's made up, but some monsters are real.
And if a real monster ever sees you wearing this, he'll know not to mess with Jennifer Jareau 'Cause she's a total bad ass.
You think I'm a bad ass? I think you're the baddest of asses.
And that came out wrong.
[Laughs.]
She was trying to protect me.
Yes, she was.
Now imagine you're the unsub.
Your victim has just killed herself, and you see her younger sister wearing your gift to her.
He'd see it as a beacon.
That's my next victim.
You say that as a profiler.
But what else do you know about preferential sexual offenders? They They have an age-specific type.
I'd be too young for him.
Roslyn didn't know that, but she knew the unsub, and she knew you.
She knew that deep down inside, you were stronger than her, and that the unsub would never come after you because it would be too risky.
You were too tough.
Now, was that the best plan? No.
But it was the best that Roslyn could do.
And I think her plan worked.
I think he was terrified of what she might have told you and how you would have looked at him.
So who looked at you like that growing up? It would have been a brief interaction, something probably in the immediate aftermath of her death.
Oh, my God.
[Banging.]
[Grunting.]
[Lock rattling.]
Aah! [Grunting.]
[Muffled screams.]
[Breathing heavily.]
This is just a horrible mistake, ok? I didn't do anything wrong.
I mean, you can't just bring me does JJ Where are you going? Hey, listen.
Listen.
I didn't do this.
I searched his car, his house, and the school.
No sign of Bethany.
Dave, I think he'll respond to your authority.
I want you to take the first crack at him.
Actually, I'd like to.
Ok.
[Sighs.]
JJ.
What in the world is this? Seriously.
Ethan, I am so sorry.
This is ridiculous.
They seem to think I've hurt those girls or something.
I know.
It's just we have a warrant for your house.
And they've already pulled your computer.
Is that? No, she's bluffing.
That's a hell of a bluff.
Guys like him keep souvenirs, usually on computers.
Did you see what was on it? I did.
[Sighs.]
Ok, look.
Um, what Roslyn and I had, it was It was different.
All right.
I mean, we Really loved each other.
I know.
Roz gave this to me because she wanted me to know how special you were to her.
You know who else is special? Bethany.
Look, you don't have to tell me where she is, but you got to give me something so I can buy you a little more time.
She's where I keep all the kids that are special to me.
I'll be right back.
[Door opens.]
You meant it, right? About Roz? She loved me? She's at the school.
This can't be it.
There's nowhere for her to hide in here.
Guys, over here.
What's under here? That's an electrical breaker room.
The police, they cleared it already.
Well, we need to clear it again.
All right.
I got it.
Go ahead.
Guys.
Come on.
Bethany.
Ok, come on.
Bethany? Bethany, can you hear me? Here we go.
Come on.
Come on, Bethany.
Uhh! Come on.
Come on.
[Grunts.]
Bethany.
Come on.
Come on! Uhh! Come on.
Uhh! Uhh! Come on.
Oh.
Were you able to buy me more time? No.
No, I didn't.
You put my sister in your trophy case because she was just another one of your trophies.
No.
That's not that's not true.
I didn't Gah! Roslyn [handcuffs click.]
probably wasn't your first victim.
But Bethany She will be your last.
[Grunts.]
Come with me.
Heh.
Oh, don't Don't move.
Let me take this in.
They wanted to wait up.
They have a present for you.
A present for me? Mm-hmm.
We heard it through the grapevine it was a tough case.
You like it? I love it.
Good.
JJ: "There are times in our lives when we have to realize that our past is precisely what it is and we cannot change it, but we can change the story we tell ourselves about it.
And by doing that, we can change the future.
" Eleanor Brown.